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Early Summer Shares Delivered This Week

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Early Summer Shares Delivered This Week
This Week's Vegetable Harvest:
  • Baby Leeks
  • Oak Leaf Butter Lettuce
  • Fresh Basil
  • Summer Salad Mix
  • Broccolini or Zucchini
  • Japanese Salad Turnips
  • Garlic Scapes - the last! use in place of garlic
  • Cucumbers

This Week's Fruit Harvest:
  • Sweet Cherries
  • Blueberries
  • Rainier Cherries
Farm Journal
We welcomed July with a rollercoaster of happy family events, ever-changing weather, and some somber emotions with the tragedy that occurred in Lake County yesterday.
This Monday's tragedy in Highland Park affected us deeply. Owen and I spent the morning contacting friends in the area to check in and make sure they were safe. As fireworks celebrations were canceled and we continued to process the day, we couldn't help but reflect on all of the people in our community, and all communities in our county, our state, and our nation who were affected by senseless violence. Owen's summer internship on a local campaign will be addressing this in their work. We will do what we can as a family to help.
For now, we and our farming team focused our energies on getting back to work in the field, working as hard as we can for those we feed. Communities need to be supported by each other. We can take actions each day that (we hope) will make a difference in your life and the lives of your community. We hope to demonstrate the care we feel for our greater northeastern Illinois community in a tangible way.
Today, we recognize the small joys of smelling like garlic and sweat at the end of a long, hot and successful (!) July garlic harvest. We are paying closer attention to what's in front of us, like quality time spent with family celebrating milestones. 
We look forward to sharing garlic with you when it is ready and in the meantime, please enjoy this week's harvest, prepared for you with care.

Warmly,
~ The Miller Family and the Prairie Wind team
Notes from the Farm Kitchen
Fruit members will receive the first of blueberries and the continued bounty of the Michigan cherry harvest, including the very seasonal Rainier cherries for one more week. Rainier cherries are an attractive golden-yellow cherry with a bright red blush. These delicately flavored sweet cherries are best enjoyed fresh and sometimes bruise so handle carefully. They are beautiful on a platter of mixed cheeses and meats, and we also enjoy them sliced and pitted in a fresh lettuce salad with goat cheese and sliced almonds. Blueberries will be here for a longer timeframe, so there will be more to come!

Like all turnips, the Japanese Salad Turnip or Hakurei Turnip is a member of the Brassica family. Unlike other turnip varieties, salad turnips do not need to be cooked.  They have an even-textured density and the flavor pairs well with a variety of different food items.  Eat them raw (just whole, or chopped/grated in salads), make a quick pickle, or cook with their greens to enhance their natural sweetness.

Wash and peel the turnip root. Turnips should not be overcooked, or they will become dark in color and strong in flavor. The summer turnip, when sliced, can be cooked in thirty minutes. Turnips should be stored unwashed in a plastic bag in the hydrator drawer of the refrigerator. Store greens separately wrapped in a damp towel or plastic bag - use them as soon as possible.
Seasonal Recipes in the Farm Kitchen

Cucumber Salad

Rainier Cherry Clafoutis with Amaretto

Sautéed Baby Leeks

Easy Skillet Turnip Greens

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